


Loss

by MarxMochiii



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I’m here only to torture you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28651671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarxMochiii/pseuds/MarxMochiii
Summary: Loss can be hard to deal with.
Relationships: Frederic-104 & Kelly-087 (Halo)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Loss

“We shouldn’t have come here,” Kelly said as she heard Fred approach behind her. She was sat on the ledge of a rocky cliff they used to run up during boot camp. Fred remembered the view, green pine trees and the big river that ran between them. Now it was all black, thick glass and the river had evaporated away. Corpses of trees jutted out of the ground and the river bed now looked more like a vicious scar in the planet’s surface.   
“What makes you say that?” he asked as he sat next to her. He sat close enough for their shoulders to touch and she looked at him, brown eyes meeting his golden visor. He’d gotten new armour yesterday, she couldn’t say it wasn’t cool but the circumstances during which he got it made her enthusiasm for it dwindle.   
“Too many memories,” she was right, as usual. The loss of Reach was far too fresh in their minds, the loss of their friends, too. Their bodies would be under the glass, somewhere. Fred practically threw that thought out of his head and turned back to Kelly.  
“You agree, then,” she said and sighed. 

The silence that followed was heavy. For once, Fred didn’t know how to make the situation better. He didn’t know if he could, until they left Reach and didn’t have to look back. It was always there, though, in the back of their minds. Charred earth and smoking rivers, a big black failure amongst a sea of stars. Fred looked down at his gauntleted hands. His new armour was olive green, just like John’s had been, and resembled his brother’s too. His visor was a lot thinner and more angular than John’s and he had two massive knives that had drawn him to the armour in the first place in their sheaths under both pauldrons. Perhaps Reach wasn’t the real reason Kelly didn’t want to be here. Or, perhaps, it was only partly the reason. 

The bruise on Fred’s ribs ached as he thought and the injury on his head pulsed with each heartbeat.   
“You’re right,” Fred said, eventually, “But that’s not the reason you’re so pensive, is it?” Kelly looked down at her hands in her lap. Three weeks ago, they’d had to fight against some ballsy pirates that got too close to UNSC territory. They were far more better equipped than planned for. They still weren’t sure where they got their equipment. Probably some abandoned military base they’d broken into. Either way, Fred had gotten injured, badly injured, and nearly died on the operating table. His helmet had been blown open and the side of his head had been a mess of blood and broken bone and he only vaguely remembered hearing Kelly’s frantic shouting as he blacked out. That wasn’t the only bad injury he had gotten, but it was the worst. He still hadn’t healed properly, three weeks on. Technically he shouldn’t still be wearing the armour, he only put it on to test it. His scaring had drawn people’s eyes, though.   
“We nearly lost you,” Kelly whispered so quietly even he could hardly hear it.  
“You didn’t, though-“  
“But we nearly did,” she interrupted, looking up and finding his eyes even behind the visor. Her brow was pulled into a frown and her big, warm eyes were so sad. Fred’s shoulders dropped slightly, “We’ve lost John we don’t need to lose you, too.”  
“His file says missing-“  
“Every dead spartan’s file says missing, Fred,” Kelly snapped. A moment passed and another. She put her head in her hands and breathed out, heavily, “I’m sorry, I- I just-“ He looked out at the miserable view in front of them, tried to picture it as it used to be, green and full of life, but failed. The jagged rock of the cliff on the other side of the valley glared at him. Their tree was below that cliff somewhere, Sam’s crude drawing of their team logo still etched into it, if it had survived the glassing. It had probably burned away.   
“It’s ok,” Fred said, quietly. He reached up, ribs protesting, and pulled his helmet off his head. He looked into the visor that resembled John’s and sighed, “I’d like to think he’s too stubborn to die in the middle of nowhere, though.”  
“He’s probably napping,” Kelly said, head still in her hands.   
“That’s a hell of a nap,” Fred smiled.  
“That man would sleep for weeks if anyone let him,” Kelly turned her head to look at him, some humour returning to her eyes, “I’m going to go find Linda, it’s nearly dinner.”  
“Good luck with that,” Fred said as he watched Kelly move to stand.  
“You not coming?”  
“Yeah, ok then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Spartan iis actually talking out their problems and being able to deal with them in a healthy manner? I think not!


End file.
